Box or crate



NOV. 18, 1952 J, F, CELLA 2,618,398

` Box 0R CRATE Filed Jari. 19, 195o INVENTOR JsePh F Cel/a Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOXOR CRATE' Joseph F. Cella, Crestwood, N. Y.

Application January 19, 1950, Serial `No.139,3'37

This invention relates` to boxes or crates. and particularly to ythe type usually employed for holding bottled goods, such as bottles of milk, and the like.

Such crates or boxes are roughly handled; the contents of the same are relatively heavy and hence it is of the utmost importance that the containers shall be of exceptional strength to withstand the rough handling to which the containers are subjected and to aiord the maximum of protection to the bottled goods.

The known containers of the type to which the present invention relates, are usually made in whole or in part of wood, reinforced at the corners and at other important points in the box by sheet metal. These boxes or crates are provided with partition members or separators by which the bottles are held in upright and spaced relation, such separators being often composed of wire rods. Since ice is often stacked around the bottles in the box or crate, the bottom of the box is of open construction to permit drainage of the water developed by the melting of the ice. The bottoms of Ithe boxes or crates are thus often composed of wires or rods extending from one side wall of the box to the other Wall, and these Wires serve as the supports for the bottles placed in the crate.

It has been found that these supporting wires are often bent or damaged while the boxes or crates are moved on conveyors, or by rough handling of the crates, and it is therefore an objec-t of the present invention to provide a reinforcing and supporting means for the bottom of a crate construe-ted substantially as described, in which the possibility of the supporting elements at the bottom of the crate -being damaged will be remote; in which a strong and eiective structure will be provided and the bottles supported firmly and in true vertical alignment when placed in the box and the box structure as a whole greatly im proved and strengthened.

With theseand other objects to be hereinafter disclosed, in view, I have devised the particular arrangement of parts described below and more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed, Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a box or crate constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal and vertical section view through the lower portion of the box or crate; Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the 1 Claim. (01..-21-7-19) f 2' arrows,` and Fig. 4 ls'aperspe'ctiveylew of oneenil of one of the transverse bottom bottle supports;

In Fig. 1 of the drawing is shown in plan, a box or crate adapted for the reception of a dozen'bottles, such as milk bottles or the like. l In the formv shown, the box is composed of the two vertical side walls indicated respectively at I and v2, which side walls are generally made of wood and are connected at their ends by the metallic end Walls 3 and 4. The sheet metal end walls are each reinforced and strengthened at the top and bottom by the hollow bars 5. The end walls and side Walls thus described, are united together by rivets or other suitable fastening elements in the manner known in this art and the corner joints between the several Walls are usually reinforced by the angle-pieces 6 which have portions I rising above the top of the several Walls of the box, such portions 'I constituting guiding elements for use in stacking one box on top of another. These elements are all well-known in this art.

The interior of the box or crate is divided by the partitions or separators 8 Which may be of the sheet-metal type shown, or may be of crossed wire rods of the type known in this art.

As previously explained, it is customary in this art to provide these boxes or crates with open bottoms to thereby facilitate the drainage of water. On the other hand, means is required below the bottles to support the bottles, and for this purpose, the present invention provides a plurality of cross members or supporting bars 9, located at the -bottom of the box but slightly elevated above the lower edges I0 and l I of the side and end walls respectively. Each of these cross members or supports 9 is preferably composed of sheet metal and is of channel form, having the top web I 2, the side walls I3 and the laterally projected anges I 4 extending therefrom.

At each end, each cross member 9 is formed with a downwardly-bent lug I5 provided with the apertures or holes I6 through which are extended rivets I? or other fastening elements for attaching these lugs firmly to the inside faces of the side walls I and 2. As will be noted in Figs. 2 and 3, the lower edge of each of the side walls I and 2 is enclosed in a channelled metal reinforcement I8, and the rivets I'I 4which attach the cross members 9 in place, extend `through these reinforcements as well as through the wooden side walls I and 2, resulting in a strongly reinforced construction.

It will be noted that the cross-members 9 are so spaced apart that the same are located below the centers of the several bottles placed in the crate. These cross-members, constituting supports for the bottles, provide relatively fiat and wide surfaces on which the bottles are supported. They also constitute cross braces for the box or crate and lend great strength t0 the same. They are so positioned as to be located above the lower edges l0 and Il of the side and end walls and upon which the crate rests, and hence the cross members do not come into contact with the ground or oor or with parts of the conveyors on which these crates are customarily transported. v

While I have herein shown the cross-members to be relatively flat and smooth, it will be apparent that the same may be ribbed, corrugated or otherwise shaped to strengthen and materially stiien the same, particularly in case of the employment of relatively light sheet metal.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claim.

What I claim is:

A crate or container of the character described 25 comprising, side walls and end walls, separators extending between the walls and providing compartments within the container for a plurality of 4 bottles, bottom supports extending between the side walls below the compartments and constituting rests which directly support the bottles on them, each of said supports consisting of a relatively shallow channel bar having its channel directed downwardly and having a flat upper face on which the bottoms of the bottles directly rest, each of said channel bars having downwardlybent ends closing the opposite ends of the channel in the bar and forming'securing-lugs, fastening elements extending through the lugs and through the Walls of the box for securing the channel bars in place, the longitudinal edges of the bars being bent downwardly and outwardly to stiien the bars and permit the same to directly support the bottles without additional reinforcement.

JOSEPH F. CELLA.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,693,165 Van Geem Nov. 27, 1928 2,238,484 Christensen Apr. 15, 1941 2,245,709 Quirk June 17, 1941 

